The Transparent Life: Open heart.. Open Hands.. Open Life

Reconciled Week Five Day One

We’ve spent a lot of time over the last four weeks uncovering what it means to be reconciled by God. He has taken the time to reconcile our spirits, souls, and bodies to himself and He will continue to reconcile us every single day. Reconciliation happens daily, because daily we fail, and daily we need Jesus. I want to take you back to week one and remind you of the truth that God reconciled us and chose not to count our sins against us. Because of his great love, we were reconciled and because of his great love, we walk a reconciled life daily through faith in his love. The book of Galatians is a letter written by Paul to the churches of Galatia. In Paul’s letter he addresses the mis-teaching that salvation is faith plus works. The jewish christians were so accustomed to the law, that they were teaching that you needed to conform to the law and have faith. They were so stuck in their customs, that they couldn’t fathom that the cross of Jesus was all that it took. I think this is a trap that we can fall in after salvation. I grew up in the Bible-belt of the south and was programmed to do good not bad from a young age. When God showed me that it was just because of Jesus that I had salvation, I was finally able to let him in to reconcile my broken areas.. but a part of me still falls into a good not bad mentality from time to time. If we are going to live reconciled, we must grasp the truth that Paul talks about with the churches of Galatia that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. This is what gives us the holy courage to fight the good fight of faith day in and day out.

Galatians 5:1 NIV says “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Christ died so that you could be free… Truly free. He didn’t die so that you could figure out a system to be good more than bad. He did it so that each and every day you could walk in grace and truth. So many times I find myself forgetting that Christ died to set me free. He brought me out of my slavery and into beautiful freedom. I don’t know about you, but a lot of times I find myself enslaved to worry, guilt, shame, fear, anger, bitterness… I find myself enslaved to the rules and customs that I think I’m supposed to follow, instead of embracing the grace and truth of Jesus.

But what does Galatians 5:1 say? It says it was for freedom…”

Have you ever looked at a long to-do list and felt free? When I look at a long to-do list, I feel overwhelmed and under-qualified. I feel like there is no way I can accomplish everything on that list.

If we look at our walks with Jesus that way, we will feel overwhelmed and under-qualified every single time.

What areas in your life feel more like a to-do list of right and wrong than a loving relationship with Jesus?

The good news about our God is that he made a way for us to be free. We can choose freedom over slavery. When we begin to step back into a system, we must remind ourselves of the relationship. We must constantly ask the Lord to draw us into a love relationship with him. In relationship we will find everything we need to live a life reconciled.

Galatians 5:1 NIV says “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

When we begin to fall back into the trap of a system instead of the love of Jesus, what should we do?

When we begin to step back towards slavery, we must stand firm on the promises of God. There will be so many opportunities in this life to be burdened by a yoke of slavery. The enemy’s ultimate goal is to trick us back into slavery. But we have a choice…I love that we have a choice. We don’t have to go back to slavery. The answer to freedom is in the verse above, “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves…”

So simple, yet so profound. The key to staying free from the burden of slavery is to stand firm. What do we stand firm on? We stand firm on the promises of God. We stand firm on the Word of God, and we claim the blood of Jesus every single day.

Prayer:

God,

Thank you for the cross. Thank you for saving me through the blood of Jesus. I pray that this week as I live out my daily tasks, you would open my eyes to areas that the enemy is trying to trick me into slavery. Bless me with spirit eyes and spirit ears as I walk each and every day. Go before me and come behind me. I want nothing more than to be surrounded by you. I choose to stand firm on your promises for my life.

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One thought on “Reconciled Week Five Day One”

Lord help me to have a close relationship with you. Thank you for freedom. Stand before me and behind me dear Jesus. Help me to have your love dear Lord. Help me to stand on your promises. I love you sweet Jesus. I ask all in your name. I give the praise and glory to you Lord.